


Covid-17

by yooonshua



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Little Jeonghan, M/M, Multi, Non-Sexual Age Play, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pacifiers, age play caregiver choi seungcheol, age play caregiver joshua hong, age play little yoon jeonghan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:34:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25485553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yooonshua/pseuds/yooonshua
Summary: Jeonghan was perfectly content only indulging in his littlespace on the rare nights he had the dorm to himself. An indefinite mandatory quarantine really put a damper in his plans.
Relationships: Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Hong Jisoo | Joshua/Yoon Jeonghan, Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Yoon Jeonghan, Hong Jisoo | Joshua/Yoon Jeonghan, Yoon Jeonghan/Everyone
Comments: 21
Kudos: 150





	1. chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi i know the title is so lame but it came to me in a dream so i had to write this. the first chapter isnt good at all i wrote this in like 5 minutes and its 5am but anyways please give me requests of what you wanna see!! this isn't gonna be a chaptered fic with a plot i think i'm just gonna write oneshots of little hannie and the rest of them in quarantine :) the next couple parts might have a bit of a continuous plot to get the exposition out of the way but after that i'll probably just write whatever so pleaseeee request whatever u want as long as its not sexual!!!

Jeonghan had a secret.

It didn’t harm anyone, and it didn’t impact his work at all, if anything it improved it, so he never found it wrong to hide it from the members.

However, his secret kind of depended on the nights when he had the dorm to himself, however rare they were. He always waited for the odd night off, and would politely decline whoever invited him to join their dinner or other activity the kids had planned for the night. He could probably partake in his secret when others were around but he would be too on edge to fully enjoy his time. 

He was perfectly happy with his situation, up until the moment his entire world came crashing down on him. Or at least that’s what it felt like. 

“...nationwide mandatory quarantine…” The man on the news spoke, and everyone in the room watching the tv groaned. The Corona virus had started getting news coverage a few weeks ago and it seemed to only be getting worse as it spread across the worlds country by country. 

“Fuck, I was supposed to visit my parents next month. How long is this gonna last?” Mingyu asks no one in particular, and his question sparks a whirlwind of complaints from the rest of the members regarding ruined plans and the like.

Jeonghan tunes it all out, his mind quickly going blank at the thought of being trapped inside this dorm, with 12 other people, for days and weeks and months on end. It’s not that he didn’t like to be around them, and he was used to being in close quarters with them for long periods of time, but. He needed time alone. Time for his secret.

Before he knows it his legs have taken him to his room and he flinches when the door accidentally slams. The loud noise brings him out of his trance and he shakes his head to clear his thoughts. He can make time to be little. He has to make time or else his mental state will deteriorate fast, like it had when he first discovered this side of him and he tried to suppress it. That only led to irritability, and he lashed out at his dongsaengs one too many times before realizing he needed this. 

A knock on the door made him jump. 

“Jeonghan?” Seungcheol’s voice sounded worried and Jeonghan took a deep breath. The last thing he wanted was Seungcheol thinking he wasn’t alright, that would just lead to him keeping a closer eye on Jeonghan, which could lead him to finding out his secret. 

“Come in.” He called after he straightened out his hair. Seungcheol walked in and he didn’t seem as worried as his voice sounded through the door. Jeonghan’s secret was safe for now. 

“Are you okay? I didn’t even see you walk out and then we all heard your door slam.” He sat on the bed next to Jeonghan and kept his eyes trained on the younger. 

Okay, maybe his secret wasn’t safe quite yet. Seungcheol had a thing about him, maybe it was the leader in him, but when he suspected someone was off or hiding something he wouldn’t rest until he got to the bottom of it. He of course would respect their boundaries, but he couldn’t sleep unless he had the peace of mind that everything that could be done to help, had been done. 

“Yeah, um- I’m just kind of scared about this whole virus thing. It seems pretty scary..” Even as the words were leaving his mouth Jeonghan knew those weren’t convincing. He tried to hide his wince but he knows Seungcheol would pick up on it no matter how subtle. 

The elder hums and stands up, facing Jeonghan still sitting on the bed. “Ok well… if we all stay inside we’ll probably be safe. At least that’s what the news is saying. So just.. don’t go outside? Okay?” His voice sounds so unsure and Jeonghan knows it’s because he knows what he’s saying is bullshit. It’s not what Jeonghan needs to hear because being afraid of the virus is obviously not what’s bothering him. 

Jeonghan nods anyways, “Yeah, thanks Cheol.” He forces some of his usual sweetness into his voice there and it seems to ease Seungcheol’s worries a bit. His frown dissipates as he leaves the room. Once the door is shut Jeonghan heaves a sigh and flops back down on his bed. 

This quarantine’s gonna be hell on earth. 

As soon as Jeonghan wakes up he knows this isn’t going to be a good day for him. His eyes feel puffy, his clothes are too itchy and he just wants strawberry milk. 

He’s little before he even sits up straight. 

Jeonghan doesn’t want to his dongsaengs to know about this side of him. Jeonghan has been trying his very hardest to not slip into littlespace for the last 5 days since the quarantine began. Jeonghan wants to stay in his room. 

But _Hannie _wants to watch a show! And the tv in the living room is way bigger than the tv in his room, so it’s an obvious choice for the boy.__

__He peeks outside his door to see if anyone’s around. The coast appears to be clear, so he tip toes as quiet as he possibly can out to the main room. He jumps a foot in the air when he sees Joshua and Wonwoo playing a card game on the coffee table, muttering quiet conversation in the otherwise silent room._ _

__Jeonghan really thought the dorm was empty. Even though that’s impossible, because no one’s walked out that door in almost a week, but little Hannie wasn’t thinking about that right now._ _

__“Oh! Hyung, hey. What are you doing up?” Wonwoo notices Jeonghan first and the elder squirms under the attention. He’s never talked to anyone while in littlespace before, other than his stuffies of course, but he doesn’t think that counts._ _

__“H-Hi.” He manages, his cheeks heating up at the sound of his soft voice coming out so squeaky. Little Jeonghan doesn’t know how to act right now, he just wanted to watch cartoons, not talk to anybody._ _

__Wonwoo and Joshua share a look that goes unnoticed by Jeonghan who has yet to lift his head from where he’s surely burning a hole in the ground by now. It’s only just after 6 am and their hyung prides himself in getting as much sleep as he possibly can. What reason could he possibly have to be awake and walking around this early?_ _

__“Jeonghan? Are you okay?” Joshua questions after a couple tense minutes of silence. Jeonghan looks up this time, wrapping his blanket a little tighter around himself._ _

__“Mhm. ‘M okay.” He mumbles out, his eyes finding the floor once again. He hasn’t made a single step forward since he was first addressed by Wonwoo, and that doesn’t go unnoticed by Joshua. He mouths at the younger to give them a minute alone and Wonwoo gets the hint and stands up, passing a shy Jeonghan on the way._ _

__“Hannie? Can you come here for a sec?” Joshua’s voice is much softer than it was a few minutes ago and he can see that it did the trick when Jeonghan gives a small nod and shuffles over to the couch where the American is sitting._ _

__He wraps an arm around his hyung and the older immediately melts into his chest, letting out a long sigh._ _

__Joshua figures he’ll wait a few minutes before asking Jeonghan any more questions, but when he goes to ask if the older is alright or if he needs anything, he gets a reply in the form of a light snore. Joshua runs a hand down his face._ _


	2. chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is all over the place and it's also unedited so it's probably a hot mess spelling wise im so sorry. lots of little hannie coming up in the next chapter and every chapter after that im so excited to write this!!!!

When Jeonghan opens his eyes he can’t help but be confused. His memory of the night before- or was it this morning?- is blurry and he doesn’t recognize his surroundings. He sits up and surveys the area, sighing in relief when he realizes he’s just in Joshua’s room. Once he realizes he’s safe his mind wastes no time in regressing back to his littlespace, which had been cut off when he woke up scared like that. 

A pout makes its way to his face when he sees that he’s alone. Does Joshuji not wanna play with him? Why is he all alone? Tears quickly form in his eyes and he lets out a whine. He couldn’t watch cartoons this morning and now he can’t play with anyone? Do his hyungs not like him? He starts crying in earnest at that thought. 

The door swings open and Joshua’s eyes are open wide when he walks in. “Hannie?” 

Hearing that nickname pulls a quiet sob out of the elder and Joshua is quick to soothe him. He’s enveloped in warm arms and he cries into Joshua’s chest, surely getting his shirt wet but the younger isn’t about to complain. He rocks them back and forth, shushing Jeonghan and rubbing circles on his back. They sit together for a few minutes while Jeonghan composes himself, and when his sobs have reduced to sniffles Joshua deems it a good enough time to try to get him to talk.

“What’s wrong, Hannie?” He asks gently, not wanting to upset the boy any further. He really has no idea what’s going on right now, he’s never seen his fellow 95 liner acting like this before and it’s worrying.

“H-hyungs don’ like me?” Jeonghan’s voice sounds so cried out it breaks Joshua’s heart. But now the American is even more confused. Hyungs? Who is Jeonghan talking about? The staff?? Does he have older friends they don’t know about?

“Who doesn’t like you?” They haven’t interacted with anyone other than their members since the quarantine started, so there’s no way Jeonghan can be talking about anyone he saw in person recently. 

“Shuji left me all alone, no hyungs to play with.” Jeonghan looks like a kicked puppy and his eyes fill up with tears again. 

“No, no, no, Hannie. I didn’t mean to leave you alone. You were sleepy so I wanted to let you rest. You woke up so early remember?” He’s trying to piece together what Jeonghan is telling him but it still isn’t clicking. 

Jeonghan hums, nodding. “Okay,” He says quietly, “play with hyungs now?” He tilts his head up to look at Joshua, who is doing his very best to mask his confusion. 

“Yeah, we can play. What…. do you wanna play a game?” Joshua considers checking the room for cameras after saying that. The only logical reason for Jeonghan to be acting and talking like this is for it to be a prank, right? Why is his fellow bandmate asking to play, and who are these hyungs?

“Hmm, let’s watch cartoons instead. Okay?” Jeonghan’s voice seems to have raised a pitch and it's honestly endearing. The words he’s using are phrases children use when they’re just learning how to speak but Joshua doesn’t comment on it.

The younger sighs when he realizes he doesn’t have a tv in his room so they’ll have to relocate to the living room. The only problem is the rest of the members are out and about in the dorm right now and for some reason he feels like Jeonghan wouldn’t want everyone seeing him in this state. What that state is exactly, is still a mystery to him but it seems like it should be kept between them, at least for now. 

“Do you wanna go out there? The members are all gonna be out there Hannie.” He keeps his eyes trained on Jeonghan’s face for any sign of discomfort at that idea, but the elder’s face lights up at the mention of the rest of them. 

“Hyungs!! Wanna see hyungs.” He sounds so sure and excited that Joshua can’t help but oblige. 

“Okay, let's go out there then.” He moves to walk out of the room but stops when he feels a pull on his hand. Turning around, he’s faced with a suddenly very nervous looking Jeonghan. The elder is biting his lip and giving the best damn puppy dog eyes Joshua’s ever seen. 

“Hold my hand?” His voice sounds so impossibly gentle Joshua feels a tug on his heart. He gives the boy a smile and takes his smaller hand in his. Together they make it out of the American’s room and down the hall towards the common area where the usual noisy chatter of the members can be heard. 

Their entrance causes most of the noise to fizzle out almost immediately. The sight in front of them is just a little bit strange, with Jeonghan holding onto his blanket in one hand and Joshua’s hand in the other, and Joshua wavering beside him.

“Uh, hey. Jeonghan wants to watch a show so… we’re just gonna sit down here.” Joshua sounds even more unsure than he looks but he allows himself to be pulled by Jeonghan’s hand that seems to have a vice grip on his. 

Soon enough the two boys have settled on the sofa; the younger painfully aware of the several pairs of eyes on the pair, and the elder fully concentrated on the kids’ show that was playing. He was swinging his legs and happily humming along to the music in the show, tapping Joshua’s leg to the beat every once in a while to make sure the younger didn’t lose his focus. This show was good!! 

Finally the overwhelming feeling of being watched gets the best of him and Joshua shoots up off the couch. Jeonghan looks up at him as soon as his bottom leaves the space beside him and Joshua reassures him before the elder’s eyes can fill with tears. 

“I’m gonna go to the kitchen for a minute, okay? I’m just getting some water, I’ll be right back, I promise.” He strokes Jeonghan’s hair as he speaks and the motion keeps the elder’s tears from falling. 

“Can you bring me some strawberry milk? Please?” His perfect manners make a smile form on Joshua’s face before he can even reply. 

“Of course, baby.” The pet name slips out on its own accord but the elder doesn’t seem put off by it. If anything, his faint blush and quiet giggle imply that he liked the name. Joshua takes note of that.

As soon as Joshua takes a step away from the sofa there are 11 curious men waiting for him. Wonwoo is the first to speak up. 

“Is he still like how he was this morning?” Wonwoo had been thinking about Jeonghan’s odd behavior since their brief encounter earlier. 

“Yeah, he’s acting pretty off. He started crying when he woke up alone, said he wanted to watch cartoons with his ‘hyungs’, but– none of us are his hyungs except for Seungcheol.” Joshua explains pretty much all he knows about the situation, leaving the rest of the room as confused as he is. Well, save for one person who might as well have a halo above his head as he becomes the group’s saving grace as soon as he opens his mouth. 

“Littlespace.” Vernon abruptly says, turning all 12 heads in his direction before he gets the whole word out. 

“Littlespace?” Seungcheol parrots, just as confused as everyone else. Within a few minutes Vernon shares all of his, surprisingly extensive, knowledge on age regression, the group nodding and cooing when appropriate. The thought of their second oldest hyung regressing to the mindset of a child is so endearing they can’t handle it. Joshua feels like all the pieces come together, and he feels a little stupid now knowing Jeonghan was referring to _them _as his hyungs.__

__“How do you know so much about this anyway?” Seungkwan asks what everyone is secretly wondering._ _

__Vernon just shrugs, “I spend a lot of time on the internet, you can find out pretty much anything on there if you’re bored enough.” That answer appeases the rest of them. They’re not in a place to question him anyway, they’re too grateful to have some answers about this thing._ _

__“So… we just treat him like a kid? Take care of him and stuff?” Jun looks equal parts hesitant and excited about the prospect of all of this, but the answer on the tip of Vernon’s tongue is cut short by a cough from the entrance of the kitchen._ _

__Jeonghan is standing stock-still, eyes wider than they’d ever been. He opens his mouth to say something but decides against it in favor of shifting uncomfortably for a few seconds before bolting out of the room before anyone can even try to stop him._ _

__Seungcheol runs a hand down his face and lets out a quiet groan. “Fuck, Shua, let’s go get him.”_ _

__No one protests when the two leave the room to check on their fellow 95 liner. It’s common knowledge that Jeonghan trusts those two with his life so it goes without saying that they’d be the ones to go after him in a time of crisis such as this._ _

__The door to Jeonghan’s room is already shut when they make their way down the hallway. A quick knock is all the warning the boy gets before his door is opened and his two worried bandmates step in, sitting down on either side of where Jeonghan’s curled up in his bed. No one says anything until Jeonghan’s sniffles can be heard. Joshua and Seungcheol share a look before the eldest speaks in the most soothing, reassuring voice he can muster in his worried state._ _

__“Oh, Hannie, you’re okay. Can you come out of there?” He rubs comforting circles on where he assumes Jeonghan’s back is under the mound of blankets he’s piled on top of him and quietly shushes the younger when he continues crying._ _

__“Please? For- for your hyungs?” Seungcheol feels odd about using that as a way to get Jeonghan to respond, but it does the trick as the crying boy’s head peaks out of his blanket pile._ _

__“I-I’m not.. I’m normal again, you guys.” He rubs the tears out of his eyes and straightens up fully. His face is flushed and Seungcheol can’t tell if it’s from embarrassment or all the crying._ _

__“So what Vernon said was true? Were you.. little? Earlier?” Joshua tentatively asks, afraid that Jeonghan will hide in his blankets again._ _

__Jeonghan wipes his eyes and nods regretfully. “No one was supposed to find out but, we’re all trapped in here and I need it, I need it, or else I’ll be mean to everyone and I won’t be able to sleep and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you guys but it’s just so embarrassing and you guys shouldn’t have to take care of me and-“_ _

__“Shh, Jeonghan, it’s okay. From what Vernon said it doesn’t sound like you’re harming anyone and if you need it, we’ll help you with whatever you need, okay? Will you let us be there for you?” Seungcheol cuts the younger’s rambles off and resumes his calming motions on Jeonghan’s back._ _

__“Are you sure? It’s so weird hyu- Cheol.” His slip up doesn’t go unnoticed to the other two boys but they don’t comment on it._ _

__“Yes, we’re sure. Right Shua?” Jeonghan’s eyes fall on Joshua who nods and wraps his arms around the older boy, giving him a playful squeeze._ _

__“Of course we’re sure Hannie. You do so much for all of us, you deserve to be taken care of. And babying you sounds pretty damn fun if i’m being honest. You were just so cute this morning.” His teasing brings a toothy grin to Jeonghan’s face as he lets out a whine._ _

__“Stop,” he drags out the ‘o’, the two other boys internally cooing at his cuteness, “you can only say stuff like that when I’m- when i’m little.” It’s obvious that saying the word out loud was a struggle and Joshua squeezes him a little tighter to let him know he’s safe in his arms._ _

__Safe to be as little as he wants._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please please leave requests!!! i'll start writing them after the next chapter :)


	3. chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've been hella busy recently im sorry for taking so long :( this chapter ended up being more exposition and not as long as i wanted it to be but we get to see little hannie some more!! pls leave requests for chapters, i'll start writing them next chapter i PROMISE!

“Mail’s here!” Jun’s voice carries throughout the whole dorm and seconds later quick little footsteps could be heard making their way to the front door. 

“Is it here yet?” Jeonghan’s voice calls before he even reaches Jun, excitement evident in his voice.

There’s a large box in Jun’s arms and he passes it over to the elder. “I’ll let the box speak for itself.” He says with a smile, happy that Jeonghan’s little items have finally arrived.

A week had passed since the second oldest’s secret got out. He avoided eye contact with most of them the first day or two following the reveal, but after a group discussion and a lot of reassuring, he was finally able to hear the word ‘littlespace’ coming out of the mouths of his dongsaengs without feeling the need to leave the room.

He’d gone into little space only once since then, and it didn’t go so well. Not for any serious reasons, but after the members had to tell Jeonghan to take his thumb out of his mouth one too many times, they quickly realized they needed to do some shopping for little Hannie. 

Since he’d been regressing in secret for so long he’d never bought anything for his little self, too paranoid someone would find it, no matter how well he would’ve hidden it. But now that everyone knew, the lack of things to keep him occupied while in headspace was glaringly obvious and more of a problem than even he realized. 

The members didn’t know how to keep him entertained in headspace, and there were only so many cartoons Jeonghan could watch before he got bored.

After that one and only time being little with the members, Jeonghan sat down with Seungcheol and Joshua and they spent about 2 hours and a few hundred dollars on different websites that catered to littles.

He tried his best to hold back his need to regress until his things arrived, and now that he was standing there holding the box he felt his resolve weakening by the second. 

“Hyung! Hyung! Open it!!” A soft smile breaks out on Jun’s face at the word hyung and he knows Jeonghan is nowhere to be found, just Hannie.

“Here, bub, lets go to the kitchen so we can set the big box on the table.” He takes the box back from Jeonghan, who was already struggling from the weight of it despite only holding the thing for a minute. Jun follows behind the excited boy who all but skips towards the kitchen table.

He’s singing under his breath the whole way there and Jun has to keep from cooing at the boy’s cuteness. Once they get to the kitchen the loud thud of the box landing on the table makes Jeonghan jump and Jun squeezes his hand a little to comfort him. The noise is loud enough for the boys watching tv in the living room to hear and soon there are several more people in the kitchen. Everyone wants to watch Jeonghan open his things, it’s almost comical the way they’re all just standing around the table. 

“Here, I’ll cut the tape and then you can start opening things okay baby?” Seungcheol’s prepared as always, having grabbed a pair of scissors on his way to the kitchen. Jeonghan nods and watches in awe as his hyung slices through the packaging tape and opens the top of the box. 

There’s lots of ooing and ahhing as Jeonghan pulls item after item out, from the rest of his bandmates and himself. Since the little had never had anyone to look after him while he was regressed, he wasn’t sure how old he was in headspace. And the two times he was briefly little with the others weren’t really enough to tell either, so when they’d done their shopping they tried to get things that would be appealing for a variety of ages, just in case.

A blush forms on his cheeks when he pulls a small package out of the box and several of the boys lean in to try and see what it is. Joshua rolls his eyes at their timidness and rests his hand on Jeonghan’s shoulder, leaning his head down to the same level of Jeonghan’s from where he’s sitting. 

“What is it, angel?” He asks gently and almost coos out loud when he sees what’s in the clear plastic packaging.

“A paci,” Jeonghan says without meeting anyone’s eyes, “hyung wash?” He looks up to ask that, eyes glancing between all of them in the room. Mingyu and Seungkwan both nearly jump to grab it from him to wash it, but a stern look from their leader forces them to work together. Mingyu unwraps the pacifier while Seungkwan starts the water and everyone is happy.

“Here you go, cupcake.” Mingyu holds the pacifier out for him to grab only for Jeonghan to open his mouth for the younger to pop the object in. He immediately begins sucking on it and he can feel all of his remaining hesitance to fully let go, completely slip away. He slouches a little in his chair and Joshua runs a soothing hand through his hair at the action. 

Some of the members leave the room now to go about their days, knowing not everyone is going to have the chance to interact with Jeonghan every time he’s little. There’s only one Jeonghan to go around and 12 eager caregivers, and they don’t want to crowd him. 

Jeonghan’s eyes widen when he pulls out a big fuzzy pink sweatshirt with a strawberry on it. The strawberry has a little face and a big smile, and Jeonghan’s expression matches its own when he, suddenly shy, peaks up at the Seungcheol. 

“C-can I put this one on?” His speech is a little muffled from the pacifier and it just makes him a hundred times cuter. He bites his lip as soon as the question leaves his mouth, as if anyone would deny him.

Seungcheol has noticed when Jeonghan is little his personality couldn’t be any more different than when he’s big. He’ll go from bouncing off the walls with energy and talking the ear off of anyone who will listen, to speaking only in mumbles and refusing to make eye contact. The leader makes a mental note to ask Jeonghan about that when he’s out of his headspace.

“Of course you can! Come on, let’s go get you changed.” Seungcheol takes the hand of an eager Hannie and leads them to the younger’s bedroom. 

The remaining members let out complaints of Seungcheol stealing their favorite boy and the eldest sticks his tongue out at them in return. It’s not his fault Jeonghan seems to gravitate towards the 95 liners when he’s little. Not much difference from he’s big, they suppose.

Once they get to the little’s bedroom Seungcheol sits Jeonghan down on the edge of his bed and quickly rips the retail tag off the sweater. He smiles fondly when he notices the boy swinging his legs over the edge of the bed.

“Arms up, baby!” He can’t help but chuckle in fondness when Jeonghan lets out a giggle as his head gets stuck in the head of the shirt he was wearing. The boy’s wearing a big smile behind the pacifier as Seungcheol pulls the sweater over and onto his body. 

Jeonghan looks down and scrunches the soft fabric in his hands, gently patting the strawberry on his chest. He looks up at Seungcheol and the elder notices the glazed over look of the boy’s eyes.

“St’awberry.” The younger softly points out, fingers still running over the fluffy material of the sweater.

“Yeah, baby, that’s a strawberry! They’re super yummy, aren’t they?” He ruffles the boy’s hair, unable to contain his fondness.

“Eat?” Jeonghan tilts his head in confusion, looking back and forth from his hyung and his shirt.

“Not that one, that strawberry would be yucky to eat. How ‘bout we get you some strawberry milk from the kitchen?” He’s rewarded by a squeal from the younger paired with frantic nodding, “Would you like that, baby?” 

“S’berry mil’!!” His words are almost indistinguishable but Seungcheol manages, and holds out his hand for the younger to take.

He’s noticed even in the short amount of time he’s spent with little Jeonghan that the boy likes to have constant physical contact with someone, and that fact warms Seungcheol’s heart. It pains him to think that it could be due to him being alone whenever he was little in the past, and this is him subconsciously making up for it. As long as Jeonghan is little, he decides right then, someone will be by his side, holding his hand, patting his back, anything. This boy deserves the world.


	4. chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi i’m sooooooo sorry it took me so long to update, i moved into my dorm (even tho all my classes are online rip) and i’ve been super busy but i’m settled in now that my zoom classes have started!! i’ll try to update at least once a week from now on!!! sorry for any spelling mistakes, i wrote this on my phone and i’m also borderline illiterate thanks to my good friend marijuana so

Seungcheol does a quick count of heads when their living room fills up in the morning. He comes up one member short and sighs softly. 

“Does anyone know if Jeonghan is awake yet?” His question is met with the shaking of heads and he already knows today’s going to be rough. 

“Fuck, okay, someone get him up while I call the manager and tell him we’re ready.” The rest of the members all share looks before Joshua steps up and drags a hesitant Minghao along with him.

On any other day they’d be jumping at the chance to wake up Jeonghan in the hopes he’d be little, but today is different. Today is the day their company set aside for the group to get tested for Covid. 

When their manager had called letting them know they’d be getting tested soon, Jeonghan had been little and had unfortunately overheard the conversation. The idea of a long q-tip being shoved up his nose by a scary doctor had been thoroughly terrifying to the boy and it took lots of cuddles and some ice cream postmated for the tears to stop. 

And now the day was here, and no one wanted to be the mean man to wake up Jeonghan for this procedure he was surely dreading. They were all praying he didn’t wake up little, since even Little Jeonghan knew he had to be big for this, no matter how scared he was. 

“Hyung, are you awake?” Minghao’s soft voice breaks Jeonghan out of his slumber and he opens his eyes, squinting when the sunlight shines through his window and practically blinds him. Joshua chuckles from somewhere in the room and he feels the bed dip beside him. 

He mumbles incoherently in hopes that they’ll see he’s awake and leave him be. He just wants to go back to sleep. 

“No, no going back to sleep.” Oh, did he say that out loud? “The managers are on their way, we have to get tested today remember?” Despite Joshua’s gentle voice being the one to break the news, Jeonghan still lets out a groan at the mention of that god forsaken test. 

“Can I just not get tested? I don’t even feel sick.” He knows it’s futile but he can’t just give up this easily. 

“You know that’s not an option. And besides, symptoms don’t even start showing up for like 2 weeks, so we all need to make sure we test negative. They’ll be here soon so you need to get up.” Minghao runs a hand through Jeonghan’s hair and hopes that’s enough to keep him from panicking too much. 

“Stop,” Jeonghan swipes Minghao’s hand away with a whine, “I can't be little and you doing that is not gonna help me stay big.” He rubs the sleep out of his eyes before heaving a big yawn. 

“Okay, okay, but you still need to get up.” Minghao gives his shoulder a nudge before he and Joshua stand up to leave. 

As soon as they close the door behind them Jeonghan falls back onto his bed with a huff.

“Don’t even think about going back to sleep Han.” Joshua’s knowing voice calls out from the hallway and Jeonghan’s eyes shoot open. When did he close them? 

Okay. Stay awake. Stay big. Stay awake. Stay big. 

Jeonghan repeats that mantra in his head while he changes out of his sleep clothes into new sleep clothes. It’s not like he has to go outside, there’s no point in wearing anything other than sweatpants and hoodies all the time so he doesn’t even bother. That’s one good thing about all of this: pajamas all day, every day. 

He makes his way out to the living room and sits down on the couch. He hopes no one in the room can pick up on his growing nervousness. Before he can even get comfortable in his seat in between Mingyu and Dokyeom he’s being tugged up by Seungcheol.

The leader has pity in his eyes as he tells the younger that they’re going in age order so he’ll be tested second. That knowledge makes his heart beat even faster than it already was and he can feel his hands clam up. 

The only upside is that Soonyoung and Jihoon have already been tested, so they’re exempt from the testing today. Jihoon physically couldn’t stay out of his studio, and he’d had to get tested before he could go into a public place like that, even though he’d be alone in his studio. Soonyoung was in a similar position, he got cabin fever less than a week into quarantine and begged their managers to let him back in their studio to work on choreographies. Both of their tests had come back negative, thank god. 

“Hey, it’s okay,” Seungcheol, the ever so observant man, notices this almost immediately and goes to reassure the younger, “it’ll be so quick you won’t even know it’s begun and then it’ll be over. And Soonyoung and Jihoon will be ready to cuddle for as long as you need to, right after you’re done. You can be as little as you want okay?” His voice softens in the last sentence, careful that their manager and the testing staff in the room can’t hear him. 

Jeonghan swallows and nods his head, despite tears forming in his eyes. “‘M scared.” His voice comes out quiet as a mouse and it breaks Seungcheol’s heart.

The leader kneels on the floor in front of Jeonghan, “You can do this. Just one second of discomfort and then you can have all the cuddles you want, we’ll watch cartoons all day long. Okay? But you need to be big, just for a few minutes. Can you do that?” He hates having to force Jeonghan to be big, especially in a situation like this. 

The younger boy sniffles a little but nods. He wants to, needs to be brave right now. 

“Okay, Seungcheol? You’re up first.” 

The leader stands, heart breaking a little more at the soft whine Jeonghan lets out when their hands disconnect, but the boy is quickly embraced by Joshua on his other side. 

All too quickly it’s Jeonghan’s turn and the room gets so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The members are waiting for Jeonghan to snap and start crying or something, but his test finishes fast and everyone breaths out subtle sighs of relief when it goes off without a hitch. 

Almost immediately Jeonghan is whisked away Soonyoung and Jihoon, the two waiting for the elder with open arms. As soon as his bedroom door shuts behind them the boy lets out a wail. 

“Hannie, oh baby, you were so brave! You did so well!” Praises pour out of their mouths while they wrap comforting arms around their poor traumatized hyung.

“Scary!” Jeonghan cries, shoving his head into Soonyoung’s chest. The two younger boys share a sad look over Jeonghan’s shoulder, each cry he lets out creating a new crack in their hearts. 

“I know, baby, that wasn’t any fun was it?” Jihoon sympathizes, continuously rubbing soothing circles on the little’s back as he sobs. 

“Here, let’s get comfortable, come on Hannie.” Soonyoung leans back and pulls their hug pile so they’re resting against Jeonghan’s bed frame. 

Jeonghan’s sobs quiet down slightly at the feeling of being surrounded by his hyung’s warm bodies, but tears continue to fall despite the comforting embrace. The two younger boys don’t stop their reassuring words and gentle hands until Jeonghan’s tears dry up and all that’s left are nearly silent whimpers leaving his mouth.

Jihoon reaches out to grab the pacifier on Jeonghan’s bedside table and nudges his mouth with it. The little’s lips part immediately and he lets out a deep breath in relief when he starts sucking on it. 

“You’re such a good boy, Hannie. We’re so proud of you for doing that.” Soonyoung runs a hand through Jeonghan’s hair and smiles when the little settles further into his chest at the praise. Jihoon’s just about to voice his agreement when the door opens. The two caregivers tense for a second before relaxing when they see it’s just Seungcheol. 

“How is our brave boy doing?” He’s got a smile on his face when Jeonghan’s head shoots up at him at the sound of his voice. 

“Appa!” Jeonghan cries out behind his pacifier and Seungcheol quickly makes his way to the bed, trying not to let his shock at the name show on his face. 

“Hi, baby. Are you feeling better now that that’s over?” He sits on the edge of the bed and Jeonghan crawls out of Soonyoung’s arms to settle in the leader’s lap. 

“Appa.” He repeats softy, curling up so small in Seungcheol’s arms you’d never be able to tell they were the same height. Seungcheol shoots a curious look towards the two other boys on the bed. 

“How little is he?” Jeonghan’s never been too little to speak, and he’s certainly never called any of them anything other than hyung before. 

Jihoon shrugs, “He was speaking full sentences earlier, maybe the trauma of that test plus seeing you made him slip further? Hannie, how old are you right now?” 

For a second they’re unsure if the little had even heard the question, but his delayed response of a shrug and a whine is enough to tell them he’s far younger than he’s ever been. 

Seungcheol begins rocking him back and forth in his lap and looks down at the boy. He can’t help but coo as Jeonghan looks up at him, his eyes screaming innocence and the leader feels bad for having put him through the test, even though none of them had any say in the matter. 

“Do you wanna go back outside baby? Are you hungry?” He asks softly, not even sure if Jeonghan will understand him. 

“Hunny!” Jeonghan’s babbles around his pacifier. Okay, at least he understands the term hungry. 

“Can one of you go start working on a bottle for him? I think the one we bought is in a cupboard. Just put some milk in the microwave for him.” Seungcheol’s glad they bought a bottle when they did. None of them were sure if Jeonghan would ever need it, but it was better to have it and not use it than to need it and not have it. 

“Hannie, do you want strawberry milk or regular milk?” Soonyoung asks as he stands up. 

Jeonghan tilts his head to the side before babbling some incoherent words and giggles to himself. Soonyoung smiles at the boy and figures that question was too advanced for his mindset right now. 

“Just do strawberry milk, as far as Jeonghan’s concerned you can never go wrong with that.” Jihoon says with a chuckle and the two others nod their heads in agreement. 

Seungcheol and Jihoon stay with Jeonghan in his room for a few more minutes to give Soonyoung time to make the bottle. They talk to the little and receive baby babbles in response, but they keep talking to engage with the boy. 

Soonyoung must have let the others know about Jeonghan’s younger age, because when Seungcheol and Jihoon take him out to the living room almost every member is eagerly waiting. They’re piled up over eachother on the couches, some sitting on the floor to save a spot on the couch for the baby. 

“Mil’” Jeonghan mumbles against Seungcheol’s chest when he settles them onto the couch. Jeonghan seems content with staying on the elder’s lap and Seungcheol has no desire to move him anyway. 

“Here” Soonyoung hands the bottle to Seungcheol before pulling the pacifier out of Jeonghan’s mouth. The little whines at the feeling but forgets about the discomfort when the tip of the bottle replaces it.

Several coo’s can be heard throughout the room at the sight of their hyung drinking the milk. He resembles an actual baby in the way his eyes flutter closed as he drinks up the warm milk. 

“Can someone put cartoons on?”


End file.
